I am so Sick...oh wait it's snowing!! Feeling better already.

So after this past week of awfullness, only one thing could have made it all better.  A crazy fast run in a blinding snow storm!!!  Thats right race fans it's snowin up a storm here in the north land and the dogs were going bonkers the minute we pulled into the drive from work.  Anne and I have both been very sick for the past few days and we both have missed some work,  and 2 training runs.  But there was no way I was going to miss a run in the first snow of the season!  Nyquilled up and ready to rock we had a blast tearing up the trail tonight.  Nothing like getting soaking wet and freezing cold to snap you out of a head cold.  Right??? 

Perhaps a hot spiced glass of our home made wild plumb wine and soak in the hot tub will make for the perfect end to this chilly evening.  Can't wait to hook up again in the morning. 





"Beware the hobby that eats."

Ben Franklin

Things that go bump in the night!

Merlyn here with some words of wisdom for all of you night time mushers and late night star gazers.  PORCUPINES MOVE AROUND AT NIGHT!  It was a close call tonight with the team as we narrowly avoided one of the biggest dam poke u pines I have ever seen.  This stealthy bugger was waiting in the shadows for us as we were on our last mile from home on a brilliant 10 mile run.  No stars out tonight to help with the lighting.  One dirt clump looks like another in the headlight until it moves!!

But our boy Grease saved the day and paid no never mind to the ill spawned son of a sewing machine.  Grease is my go to main leader for the team and has a single mind when he is up there.  Run fast, run straight and expects every one else to keep up, that's Grease.  He never even looked side ways at the poker and drug the whole team past it at speed.  I didn't even see the beastie until the quad was going past it.  Huge black waddling spines of death!  Wheweee...  Lived to run another day.

This time of  year we mostly run the team at night as it is pretty much dark when I get home.  Plus temps don't start to drop till the sun sinks down..  But Don't worry north land, Friday the 5th calls for possible SNOW FLURRIES!!  The dogs get to liking the night runs so much that when we do start to run in the daytime they are a bit freaked out and start to wonder if daylight savings has already started.

"beware the hobby that eats"

Ben Franklin

Lets get this party started!

Greetings new and old friends and readers.  Merlyn here with what I hope is the start of a great new season of training, racing and currently learning to "Blog".  While Anne has taken the responsibilities of  running our Facebook page. ( Lake Effect Racing)  I am trying my hand at keeping up our blog page.  So get ready to laugh, cry and generally say "No way"  to all of our adventures this new season!

With Sept  behind us and the first 17 hookups on the team we are in full swing with training.  We have quite a crazy race schedule coming up this winter and as every distance musher knows its the early fall hookups that build the teams foundations.  So while Anne and I's bodies are saying no no no, the dogs are saying yes yes yes!  Yeah Ibuprofane!  October is crunch month for us here at Lake Effect Farms, all the winter fire wood needs to be done (nearly finished),  Hay put up in the barn (done)! Our annual cider pressing party "TBA" and 22 hookups MUST be done with the team. 


The latest and greatest for us here at Lake Effect is the new Fish Boiler that we built for rendering heads and backs into delicious and nutritious buckets of yummies for our dogs.  One businesses trash is another sledding Kennels treasure!  Thank you Lake Superior commercial fishermen!

A Fun New Addition to our site this year will be "McKenna's Corner"  Where our brilliant 5 year old daughter, McKenna gets to share her musings weekly about what we do on the farm and what she thinks about it.  Watch for great video clips and photos in this new area!

Is Winter Here Yet?

I am a big time procrastinator.  It takes quite a bit of motivation for me to actually "plan" for something.  It's got to be something great, something important, and something that I absolutely love.  This year we put all our efforts into re-outfitting our sled dog team, re-doing our dog kennel, building new dog houses, and getting ourselves in better shape so we could be more competative and re-enter the racing circuit in the Midwest.  Unfortunately this year, Mother Nature has been the procrastinator (not to mention just a little bit stingy) with the SNOW.   Sometimes you plan, work, train and all around bust your rear to get ready for something, and then when your hopes are the highest... no go.   In our case... "no go to races"  Not that we aren't ready... there is just no snow to have them!  Plus, the lack of snow has reduced our training.  Not only can't we go out as much, but our team can't run as far, for fear of injury.  They are doing great, given the circumstances.  And, hopefully, with the little bit of "white fluffy" we got last night, the trails will be a little softer on their feet and training can return to normal.

Next race is the Midnight Run... We can't wait!  It will be great to visit a place where winter was not forgotten!

The smell of fall is in the air...

Fall is coming... I can smell it.

No - its not the smell of autumn leaves, or the apples that are sitting on the porch waiting to be made into apple sauce.  It's not even the smell of burning leaves...

It's much more obnoxious and offensive... and its coming from one animal.  An animal who is too sweet not to pet, but to stinky to hang out with.   It's Diego, our buck.  He is McKenna's baby, raised with a bottle, slept in our house.  He is now over a year old and thinks he is the most handsome boy on the planet.  He is currently covering himself with the best cologn he can muster - his own urine.  His beautiful, shiny goatee is now covered (as well as his legs and anything else he can reach) with pee.  And the girls love it!  They are calling to him and gazing at him like lovesick teenagers.  And he parades around like no one can resist him.  It's not just the urine that smells.  Buck goats have a very aromatic musky smell that is kinda like cloves, cigar smoke, and mildew all in one.    Lovely... and this will only continue all fall.   I can't wait...